The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of two types of nutritional supplementation during late gestation on the chemical composition, energy value, and IgG concentration in the colostrum and the IgG concentration in the blood serum of lambs. Pregnant Merino Precoz ewes (n = 36) carrying single fetuses were used. Animals were kept grazing on the Mediterranean annual grassland. From day ~90 of pregnancy, animals were allocated into three groups: daily supplementation with oat grain or lupine grain and a control group without supplementation. Immediately after parturition, colostrum was collected from each ewe, and a blood sample was taken from the lambs 24 h after birth. For the evaluation of the chemical composition of the colostrum, an EKOMILK® milk analyzer was used. The energy value of the colostrum was calorimetrically evaluated. IgG concentrations were measured by simple radial immunodiffusion. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance. Colostrum content of protein and non-fat solids was higher in the group supplemented with oat grain than in the lupine grain supplemented and control groups (p ≤ 0.05). In contrast, ewes supplemented with lupine grain had the highest concentration of fat in their colostrum (p ≤ 0.05). Oat grain supplementation resulted in higher concentrations of IgG, both in sheep colostrum and in the blood serum of their lambs (p ≤ 0.05), being higher than those observed in the lupine grain and control groups. Ewes that gave birth to male lambs had significantly higher concentrations of IgG in their colostrum compared to ewes that gave birth to females (p ≤ 0.05). The colostral IgG concentration positively correlated with the serum IgG concentration of the lambs (r = 0.32; p ≤ 0.05). The results indicate that the quality of colostrum and the immunological status of the newborn lambs can be improved by supplementation with oat grain.
Keywords: immunoglobulins; late pregnancy; lupine grain; merino ewes; oat grain.